Google to Start Removing ‘Inactive’ User Accounts

Google to Start Removing ‘Inactive’ User Accounts

Google将开始删除“不活跃”的用户账户

【原文听力】

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　　By Bryan Lynn

　　29 November 2023

　　Google is about to start deleting accounts considered "inactive."

　　The company plans to start removing inactive accounts that users have not used or signed into for more than two years on December 1.

　　Google announced the policy in May, saying it could begin removing affected accounts in December 2023. User data that could be deleted includes content stored within Google Drive, Docs, Gmail and other services.

　　Google says users with accounts at risk of being deleted should have already received email messages explaining the policy and the steps required to keep accounts active.

　　The company said the deletion process will start with Google accounts that were created, but never used again. Google is urging users who want to save their accounts and related data to take some form of action by the end of this week.

　　Why is Google deleting inactive accounts?

　　Google has said its policy to delete old, unused accounts is designed to remove security risks related to those accounts.

　　In its announcement, Google said accounts that go long periods of time without activity are "more likely to be compromised." The reasons for this include the fact that forgotten or unused accounts often depend on old or reused passwords.

　　Another thing that puts such accounts at risk is the lack of two-step security processes that became popular in recent years to help users keep their accounts secure. This security tool, called "two-factor authentication," aims to reduce the risk of internet attackers taking over personal accounts and stealing data.

　　In addition, old and unused accounts "receive fewer security checks by the user," Google said.

　　How can I prevent my account from being deleted?

　　Google says the best way to keep a user account active is to sign into it at least once every two years.

　　But there are some other actions that meet the requirements for keeping a Google account active. These include sending or looking at emails, using Google search and watching videos on Google-owned YouTube. The user must be signed in to their Google account when performing these actions.

　　The policy covers Google Photos as well. The company explains that the simplest way to avoid losing saved pictures and videos is "to visit Google Photos on the web or through the app." When signed in, users just need to perform some activity. For example, they can look through an image collection, share a photo or video or back up content in Photos.

　　Are there any exceptions to the policy?

　　Google says it only plans to delete old or unused accounts for personal users. Accounts that were set up for organizations, such as schools or businesses, will not be affected.

　　Other exceptions include Google accounts controlled by an adult for a child or accounts that have been used to buy goods or services on an ongoing basis.

　　Google has also noted there are no current plans to delete accounts with YouTube videos.

　　How can I save data from my Google account?

　　Google does offer users some tools to help them save and backup stored data. One of them is called Takeout. This service permits users to download and export account data outside of Google at any time. An account holder can use this method to back up stored data or to use it with a service outside of Google.

　　In addition, Google offers a tool, called Inactive Account Manager, which permits users to choose what would happen to their accounts and data if it does become inactive. The choices for activating this service include having files sent to a set of trusted contacts or requesting that the whole account be deleted.

　　Google also asks that all its users provide a recovery email for their account. This can be an important method for getting a user back into a locked account and can also be helpful for sending inactive account messages and other communications.

　　I'm Bryan Lynn.

　　The Associated Press and Google reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English.

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　　作者：Bryan Lynn

　　日期：2023年11月29日

　　Google即将开始删除被视为“不活跃”的账户。

　　该公司计划从12月1日开始删除用户两年以上未使用或未登录的不活跃账户。

　　Google在5月份宣布了这项政策，表示可能从2023年12月开始删除受影响的账户。可能被删除的用户数据包括存储在Google Drive、Docs、Gmail和其他服务中的内容。

　　Google表示，有被删除风险的用户应已经收到电子邮件，解释了这项政策以及保持账户活跃所需的步骤。

　　该公司表示，删除过程将从创建但再也未使用过的Google账户开始。Google正在敦促希望保存他们的账户和相关数据的用户在本周末之前采取某种形式的行动。

　　为什么Google要删除不活跃的账户？

　　Google表示，其删除旧的、未使用的账户的政策旨在消除与这些账户相关的安全风险。

　　在其公告中，Google表示，长时间无活动的账户“更容易被攻击”。这其中的原因包括，被遗忘或未使用的账户通常依赖于旧的或重复使用的密码。

　　另一个使这类账户处于风险的因素是缺乏近年来流行的两步安全流程，以帮助用户保护他们的账户安全。这种安全工具，被称为“两因素认证”，旨在降低网络攻击者接管个人账户并窃取数据的风险。

　　此外，Google表示，旧的和未使用的账户“用户进行的安全检查较少”。

　　我如何防止我的账户被删除？

　　Google表示，保持用户账户活跃的最佳方式是至少每两年登录一次。

　　但是，还有一些其他的行动也满足保持Google账户活跃的要求。这些包括发送或查看电子邮件，使用Google搜索和在Google拥有的YouTube上观看视频。用户在执行这些操作时必须登录他们的Google账户。

　　该政策也涵盖了Google Photos。该公司解释说，避免丢失保存的照片和视频的最简单方法是“通过网页或应用程序访问Google Photos”。登录后，用户只需要进行一些活动。例如，他们可以浏览图片集，分享照片或视频，或在Photos中备份内容。

　　这项政策有没有任何例外？

　　Google表示，它只计划删除个人用户的旧的或未使用的账户。为组织（如学校或企业）设置的账户将不受影响。

　　其他例外包括由成人为儿童控制的Google账户，或者已经用于购买持续性商品或服务的账户。

　　Google还指出，目前没有计划删除带有YouTube视频的账户。

　　我如何保存我的Google账户的数据？

　　Google确实为用户提供了一些工具来帮助他们保存和备份存储的数据。其中一个被称为Takeout。这项服务允许用户随时下载和导出Google外部的账户数据。账户持有人可以使用这种方法备份存储的数据，或者将其用于Google之外的服务。

　　此外，Google还提供了一个工具，叫做Inactive Account Manager，它允许用户选择如果他们的账户和数据变得不活跃时会发生什么。激活此服务的选择包括将文件发送给一组受信任的联系人，或者请求删除整个账户。

　　Google还要求所有用户为他们的账户提供一个恢复电子邮件。这可以是让用户重新进入被锁定账户的重要方法，也可以用于发送不活跃账户消息和其他通信。

　　我是Bryan Lynn。

　　美联社和Google报道了这个故事。Bryan Lynn为VOA学习英语改编了这些报道。

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　　这个故事中的词汇

　　delete – v.移除某物，特别是从计算机的内存中

　　compromise – v.同意某事，尽管这并不完全是你想要的

　　app – n. 可以放入移动电话或其他电子设备的小型计算机程序